Hard-hitting rookie from UW sticks with Hawks as undrafted free agent

Published 10:00 pm, Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Seahawks rookie C.J. Wallace heads up field after snagging a preseason interception against the Raiders.

Seahawks rookie C.J. Wallace heads up field after snagging a preseason interception against the Raiders.

Photo: Mike Urban/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Hard-hitting rookie from UW sticks with Hawks as undrafted free agent

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KIRKLAND -- It's not that C.J. Wallace isn't happy. He just won't smile too wide yet. That would admit surprise at his new situation. Surprised is not how he feels. He should be here. He expected he would.

"I came to camp on a long road," Wallace said. "Things didn't work out as I thought it would. People didn't think I would make it. Well, I'm still here."

Chips don't stack any higher than the set found on Wallace's shoulders, but then, for an undrafted rookie free agent to make the roster of a deep, veteran NFL team, maybe doesn't happen without a little internal motivation.

When the Seahawks trimmed their roster to the regular-season limit of 53 on Saturday it was Wallace -- who earned All-Pac-10 honors as a senior at Washington last season -- who found his name on it, not veteran safety Michael Boulware, who was traded to Houston for defensive end Jason Babin.

That trade had as much to do with Wallace's performance throughout the preseason as it did with Boulware's regression.

Wallace played well on special teams, and showed enough awareness and promise at safety to go along with his lust for hitting that it became difficult for the team not to keep him.

"I knew C.J. was a good player because he was all ears and action, listening to what Brian (Russell) and myself and the coaches were telling him," strong safety Deon Grant said. "He was applying all of that on the field and he was getting better. When it came time to step up at scrimmages and in the preseason, he showed up."

Grant and Wallace both point to the scrimmage held in Memorial Stadium last month as the first indicator that Wallace had a chance to make the team. Wallace had several jarring hits and impressed with his hard-nosed, physical play.

"The first scrimmage, it was my first time going real live," Wallace said. "I felt from then on that I belonged out there. I've just tried to keep it rolling ever since."

Wallace has always used the slights and doubts of others -- real or otherwise -- to act as fuel for an always-burning inner fire.

It's as much a part of his game as his penchant for big hits, his toughness and his shoulder-length dreadlocks.

Even with the wealth of talent Alberghini has seen for almost four decades, Wallace sticks out in his mind.

"I don't think there were many guys I had who were tougher than C.J.," Alberghini said. "I've seen a lot of players in my time, a lot of very talented ones, and the reason C.J. stands out is because he was a hard-working, tough, tough kid. He had all the physical tools, but it was his attitude that stuck out."

Wallace was a two-way star at Grant Union, a standout running back in addition to his duties at strong safety and outside linebacker. He was recruited by several Pac-10 schools and signed with Washington on the strength of his relationship with then-coach Rick Neuheisel.

He never played a down for Neuheisel, who was fired before Wallace's freshman season in 2003. In four seasons at Washington, he played for two different coaching staffs and never sniffed a winning record.

Off the field, it was also an adjustment for a kid from a tough, working-class neighborhood. He missed several classes his freshman season, and then-coach Keith Gilbertson, now the Seahawks assistant offensive line coach, disciplined him.

"He made mistakes all young guys make," Gilbertson said, "nothing that was a big deal. He was a good kid. He still is now. He's just a lot more mature now."

Added Wallace: "I was real hard-headed. I was an inner-city kid that wasn't used to the environment. I just buckled down and knew this was something I wanted to do. I didn't want to burn any bridges."

Buckled down is what he did once again after the sting of going undrafted. It's what helped him claw his way onto the roster. And why he also intends to stick around.

With several veterans in front of him, Wallace is likely to spend much of his rookie season on special teams. Not that he minds. He wants to contribute, to be on the field in any capacity. Besides, what better way to add another log to his internal fire.

"I'm competitive," Wallace said. "I want to play the best, and I strive to be the best. I put in the work to do it. Anything I have to do to make the squad, I'll do. This is an opportunity. I want to take advantage."